


Keep Playing

by keith_buddy



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: A Lot of Plot, Angst in general, Cancer, Eventual Happy Ending, Fluff, Gay, Keith is the only color he sees, Lance sees in monochrome, Langst, M/M, No Major Character Death, This will hopefully be long, a lot of fluff, allura is lance's gaurdian, character developement, distanced introvert lance, hunk and pidge are still lance's bros, iTs klAnCe NoT ShEitH sO ChILL, klance, klangst, lively keith, pianist lance, sad shit, sheith (but like not really it's all part of getting klance together you'll see), sport star shiro, they will make music together, violinist keith, you lie in april au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-18
Updated: 2017-09-14
Packaged: 2018-12-03 16:40:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,936
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11536221
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/keith_buddy/pseuds/keith_buddy
Summary: Lance is a pianist who can no longer hear the sounds of his playing after the trauma of having his mother, who was also his mentor, die tragically when he was 12. Lance only sees the world in black and white. One day, he  he meets a boy named Keith. This boy seemingly has a crush on Shiro, one of Lance's friends. Keith is a violinist, and his music radiates color. The light in Lance's dark ocean. Even though Keith likes Shiro, Lance just feels grateful that fate somehow made their paths cross. While Lance may only be friend A, he develops a strong connection to Keith, as they work together to recreate Lance's sound. Lance may have found something that makes him want to keep playing...Chapter 1 is just Lance's back story. Sorry it's kinda short.





	1. Silence is Painful

**Author's Note:**

> This is based off Your Lie in April. It is very similar and has some of the same plot lines. I was not trying in any way to steal the ideas off of YLIA, I just had never seen a klance YLIA AU and really wanted to create one. I'm so sorry if I butcher this, because Your Lie in April is such a beautiful story, and I feel like I'll never do it justice. Also, Keith and Lance are kinda swapped. Keith is more energetic and Lance is much more distanced. I thought it would be interesting to have them a little out of character. This is my first fic, but I've been wanting to write one for a while. I'm trying to not rush through so hopefully it'll turn out okay. I'm planning on releasing new chapters every two weeks.Be sure to leave any thoughts in the comments and leave some kudos if you like it! Enjoy :)

A cold, pitch black, bottomless ocean. That’s what was surrounding Lance. The darkest parts of his mind were swallowing him whole. Keeping him a prisoner. 

“There’s no point. I can’t hear it,” Lance thought to himself.

He slowly got up from the bench and stood before the dusty piano. The piano that he had grown to fear, that had once brought him so much joy. He tries to remember what it had felt like before. The warmth of the notes, filling the room with color. 

He used to lay under that very piano, as his mother lulled him to sleep with her beautiful sounds. The sounds that rang in his heart, that brought him comfort, and that brought him so many beautiful emotions. All those emotions were gone now. There was no longer color in his melody. His entire world had gone into monochrome after his mother had left him. Left him all alone.

Lance’s mother had passed away after a long battle with bone marrow cancer. But that wasn’t when she left him. Oh no, his mother had left him far before that. Lance’s mother taught him to play. Starting when he was only 4 years old, his talent bloomed. At first, Lance’s mother only wanted him to find joy in his music. 

Lance used to see his mother as an angel. So soft and welcoming. Her song was one filled with so much love. Until she changed her song.

“Lance, love is such a beautiful thing. You must always show it to the world, in whatever way you can,” she used to always remind him. 

What she meant by this, is that such an emotion cannot go to waste. It is something that should be shared and cherished. When Lance’s mother’s began to succumb to her illness, her love changed. Her love which was once pure, was soon filled with sorrow. 

At the time, Lance was too young to realize what was happening. His mother had been diagnosed with a rare bone marrow cancer. Not long after, she had been classified as a terminal case.  
After that, Lance’s music was no longer joyful. 

She forced him to play until he got blisters on his fingertips. She wanted him to be the best. She wanted for him to have a future as a pianist.  
That isn’t what Lance wanted. He slowly began to fear the piano. He hated practicing, never having time to be with Shiro, Hunk, and Pidge anymore. They always wondered where he was, and it was always the same answer.

“You guys, I'm sorry. I can’t hang out. I have piano.’’

Lance was only free of judgement when he performed. Oh, how he loved the stage. It was a place where he could play his music and bring happiness to those who heard. It was his release. His mother, being in the hospital, could not attend his concerts. As much as he hated to admit it, he was filled with relief when she stopped being able to come.

When Lance’s mother’s condition began to worsen, she began to punish Lance. At first, it was little smacks to his head when he messed up the tempo, or hit the wrong key. 

Then, the beatings got worse. She would use her cane to hit his arms and legs if he was even slightly off. Everywhere but his hands were always bruised or scratched up. 

As he got older, his mother got sicker. By the time Lance was twelve years old, he had become a prodigy. Lance McClain was what all the other kids strived to be like. They wanted to be as good as him.

Lance didn’t realize why the other kids were so jealous of him. If only they knew what Lance had gone through to be the pianist that he was. The pianist that followed the score exactly, that blew the competition out of the water with little effort. 

Lance didn’t care about winning. He only cared about making his mother happy. Even though she was so horrible to him, she was still his mother. He wanted to remember her as that warm, soft angel she once was. 

Clinging onto those memories made Lance want to please his mother. Since he had gotten to the age where he could understand her illness, he didn’t try to fight back or stray from her dreams for him. He realized that she didn’t have long to live. He wanted to give her everything he had.

All of the hours he could have spent being normal, being a child, went into practicing. That was pretty much all he did. In hopes that eventually, he could play well enough to cure his mother. He hoped so desperately that if he’d just work hard enough, and prove that he was good enough, maybe he could earn the right to keep his mother.  
The Gala: This was one of his biggest concerts of the year. So much competition, such a large audience, so much pressure.

But that never worried Lance. It hadn’t even crossed his mind how large scale the even was until he took the stage.

When Lance stepped out , everything glowed. The lights, the beautiful grand piano, glistening with polish.  
You could hear a pin drop. He slowly walked to the piano, staring at his shoes the entire way there. He adjusted the bench and carefully sat down. He looked down at the keys. 

There it was. Right before him. This was his canvas, his fingers the paintbrushes. He took a deep breath, as he cracked his knuckles.  
That was when he looked out into the audience. In the back corner, hooked up to an IV as she sat in her wheelchair, was her. His mother was here, watching him play. His heart dropped and he felt his hands begin to sweat. As he turned back to the piano and placed his hands softly over the keys, he thought to himself,

“This is it. Everything I’ve practiced for. It's all to her happy.”

Like always, Lance took the audience by storm. His sound was like no other. It sounded as though he was playing on a completely different piano as the competitors before him. His fingers flowed with ease and precision, playing his piece with near perfection. 

After finishing his performance, Lance skipped out to the lobby to meet his mother and her friend Allura. 

Allura had been close friends with Lance’s mother since they met in highschool. Being a pianist herself, Allura had helped train Lance in his earlier years of piano. Now, Allura cared for Lance’s mother. 

Lance had been so happy with his performance. He stood before his mother with a smile on his face.

“Mom! Did I play well? I played my best for you!” Lance exclaimed.

Suddenly, pain rung in his ears. What had just happened? Why had it happened? He saw his mother’s hand retract and he realized she’d slapped him.

“That was sloppy! Your tempo was off. How am I supposed to trust that you can make it in the real world if you can’t play a piece as simple as this one?!” 

“Calm down, can't you see he's trying to make you happy?” Allura questioned her.

The hot tears began to run down Lance’s cheeks. He felt angry. He had spent so long trying to make her happy. But she never was. She always had to tell him how bad he was or how he could never be a real pianist.

He stood and stared down at the patterns on the carpeted floor. With his hands tightly balled into fists, he took a breath and looked up to meet his mother’s eyes.

“I hate you! I wish you’d just die already!”

As soon as those words left Lance’s mouth, he wished he could take them back. He turned from her and ran towards the door.

“Lance! Wait!” Allura called after him.

But Lance was already gone. He burst through the exit, into the cherry blossom filled breeze of spring. He stood outside the doors and took a deep breath in. While he felt slightly liberated that he had finally stood up to his mother, he’d never felt more regretful.

That last sentence wasn’t true. He felt that absolute most guilt that night. His mother had gone back to the hospital after his performance and fallen into cardiac arrest during a routine check up. While the doctors did everything they could to save her, they all knew her death was inevitable. 

Lance couldn’t believe that his last words to his dear mother had been wishing for her death. He could never again tell her that he loved her. He never got to make her proud. He never got to say sorry. And he never got to say goodbye. 

After that, Allura had taken the responsibility of raising Lance. Allura was extremely kind and patient. She felt that she owed it to Lance and his mother to follow out her dreams for him, so she had Lance continue to play the piano. Between the time that his mother died and his next concert, Lance didn’t play all that much. 

That didn’t matter to him. He just wanted to perform again, feel the warmth of the spotlight again, feel freedom once more.

(Flash forward to his next concert)

As he took a seat in front of the piano, he couldn’t help but think of his mother. He could see her. Out of the corner of his eye in the back corner of the audience.

With that, Lance began to play. Every time he looked up, hoping that his mother was gone, she stared back at him intensely. He could feel the weight of the keys slowing his fingers down. Pulling him under. Deeper and deeper. And then, it stopped. The sound of the piano faded away, along with all the colors of the auditorium. 

He couldn't hear. He suddenly stopped playing and began to sob. He gripped his ears with his hands and rocked back and forth on the piano bench. 

“I can’t hear. Someone please, please help me.” he pleaded through his tears.

The stage as no longer free for him. His mother had taken that from him too.

Since then, Lance had never been able to play. Whenever he’d begin to, he could hear, but as soon as he got engulfed in his music, the keys would lose sound, and all he could hear were his fingers pounding on the piano, silently and meaninglessly. His eyes only allowed him to see the colors of the ivory keys. Black and white. Monochrome. 

Everything in Lance’s life had fallen silent, and his world was crumbling before his eyes. He never knew how painful silence could be.


	2. A Light In the Dark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A boy with terrible hair and a crush on Shiro comes suddenly into Lance's life. This boy just happens to be a crazy violinist that was glowing with color.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to get this chapter out a bit earlier, but I've been pretty busy with volleyball lately. I'm going to try and keep up with the every two week schedule. Forgive me if this chapter has some writing errors. I edited pretty quickly. I hope you guys are enjoying this fic as much as I enjoy writing it! Feel free to leave any and all thoughts in the comments. If you like this fic be sure to share and leave kudos! Thank you guys!

Lance sat in the music room, hovered over the keys of the old piano that resided in the school. This room was almost never used, so it was a nice place for Lance to be alone.

Lance had a job for his old elementary school. He wrote the sheet music for small songs performed by the school’s music program. It was an easy forty bucks per song. 

He looked at the staff paper, then scribbled down some notes. Seconds later, his hands were moving.

 _“I like the flow of this.”_ thought Lance.

Lance stopped playing to make a few changes in the music. He could hear these notes, as long as they were just notes. Once they carried meaning with them, he got lost in the sound, and could only hear the dense thumping of his fingers against the soundless keys.

This was fine. All he had to do was play the notes. The notes had no feelings, no color, and no purpose. But regardless, they were notes nonetheless. 

Lance continued this process for a while. Jotting down some sloppily written notes, testing them out, and deciding whether they worked or not.

As Lance was wrapping up his session, he heard a loud crash coming from the near left. He turned, only to get a sharp knock to the face.

He fell back out of the bench. Clutching his head in his hands, he slowly sat up. He looked down next to him. A pile of shattered glass. And there it was. A softball, slowly rolling it’s way across the floor. 

_“Not again Pidge.”_ Lance spoke in his mind.

As if on cue, he heard footsteps clomping through the hall, and seconds later, a very distraught Pidge burst in.

A bead of sweat rolled down her forehead as her eyes scanned the crime scene.

“Oh not again! The principle is going to literally end my life.” Pidge worriedly said.

“What is that, the fourth time this has happened?” asked Lance with a scowl on his face.

“It’s not my fault that I have an abnormally strong swing.” Pidge declared.

“Sure, sure, save it for the principle.” Lance said with a grin.

More footsteps could be heard. Then, Hunk and Shiro waltzed into the room.

“Oh my god Pidge! Can’t you go a week without breaking something?!” yelled Hunk.

“Ha, nice shot buddy.” mumbled Shiro with an impressed look plastered across his face.

“Don’t encourage her!” exclaimed Lance.

Laughter erupted from Hunk, Shiro, and Pidge, while Lance continued to look on with dismay at the scene.

 

\-----

 

“Who knew that someone could give an hour long lecture about a goddamn broken window.” sulked Pidge.

“Why are you complaining?! I didn’t even have anything to do with it, and I had to sit and get lectured along with you!” cried Lance.

“Hey, when you signed up to best friends with me, you signed up for all the trouble that comes with me. It’s a full package dude.” Pidge said.

“She’s gotcha there..” agreed Hunk. 

“Ugh, why do I even bother with you.” murmured Lance with closed eyes.

“C’mom, you know you love me.” declared Pidge, as she gave a playful punch to the side of Lance’s arm.

“I do, but sometimes, you can be a real dipshit.” said Lance as he looked down at his phone.

“I know, I know. I promise I’ll be more careful.” assured Pidge.

“You say that every time, but okay.” replied Lance.

Pidge gave him a cheeky smile, and he just grinned back.

“Not to kill the moment, but this is our street.” said Shiro.

He and Hunk turned onto the back road.

“See you guys tomorrow?” called Hunk over his shoulder.

“You know it!” called back Pidge.

Pidge and Lance continued to walk towards their homes, right next door to each other. Pidge looked over at Lance, noticing that he’d stopped walking.

He was looking up towards the sky, taking deep breaths.

“Uhhhh, whatcha doing?” questioned Pidge.

“I may not be able to see all the colors, but spring is still pretty nice.” said Lance as he smiled and ran his hand through his dark hair.

Lance was being truthful. He couldn’t see any of the beautiful colors, like the pale blue of the sky, or the light pink of the cherry blossoms. Regardless, he could still enjoy many things about spring.

The smell of the pollen in the air, the way the wind carried around clusters of blossom petals in the wind. All of it was beautiful.

“You’re so dramatic.” groaned Pidge.

“Hey, I just know how to appreciate the little things in life. Like you.” joked Lance with a chuckle.

“Oh shut up!” said Pidge as she shoved Lance to the side.

He gave a small laugh to that, and they continued to walk. The rest of their trek home was spent in a comfortable silence. 

When they finally reached Lance’s doorstep, he was about to say goodbye when Pidge asked him, “Hey, can you do me a favor tomorrow?”

 

“Depends what it is.” replied Lance with crossed arms.

“So, a good friend of mine may or may not have a thing for Shiro. He’s been crushing on him for a while now.”

 

“Ugh. What a surprise. Another guy has a thing for Shiro.” interrupted Lance.

“Anyways, I set them up for a date tomorrow. Hunk can’t go and I don’t feel like third wheeling alone. Do you think you could come with?”

“I don’t really know..” replied Lance.

“Oh please, you know you want to. It’ll be fun! And every situation like this needs a Friend A!” exclaimed Pidge

“A what?” questioned Lance.

“ A Friend A. Like in a movie, where they always have the friend that isn’t that vital to the plot, but it just always there for moral support.”

Lance gave her a look that showed that he was still pretty skeptical.

“Please?” Pidge begged with her best puppy eyes.

“Fine. But go before I change my mind.” grumbled Lance as he turned to open his front door.

“Great! See you tomorrow, Friend A!” said Pidge as she turned back to the sidewalk.

She could hear a very audible groan come from Lance as he shut his door. She walked up to her own porch. Before going inside, she took a look around at the scene around her.

“Huh, spring is pretty nice.” She mumbled to herself before disappearing into her home.

\-----

 

The next day, Lance crawled out of bed and looked at his phone. As he got up and brushed his teeth, he read over a text from Pidge.

**Gremlin:**

meet us at the hill at the park 

see you at 10! ;)

Lance looked over at his clock. It was 9:30.He hurriedly got dressed and left for the park. He wanted a bit of time to walk around before seeing everyone.

Lance walked to the far end of the park. He could hear the faint sound of something. 

“Is that… a melodica?” questioned Lance.

Yes. It was. He could hear it more clearly, the further he walked. It was a nice, simple tune. Well played and peaceful. He had to know where it was coming from.  
He walked over to a small hill. Once out of the brush, he saw the source of the little song. 

A boy. With shoulder length, jet black hair. Technically, it was a mullet. That was the first thing he noticed.

He walked closer, to get a bit of a better view. The boy had beautiful features. His hair, blown about by the soft breeze, framed his face. He had a nice jawline, and a sharp nose. His eyes were a dark, piercing indigo. He was seemingly Asian, maybe mixed? He was wearing black jeans, paired with a black undershirt, and a red plaid flannel.

At that moment, even though Lance had no idea who this person was, they were absolutely gorgeous. 

That was when he noticed it. He could see their colors. For some reason, while everything else remained black and white, this boy was radiating faint, but visible colors. 

Lance didn’t even think anything of it when he took his phone out, held it up, and captured this beautiful moment in a quick photo.

The boy looked at him, the harmony ceasing. 

“Uh, what are you doing?” the boy asked with a puzzled look on his face.

“Oh! Um, sorry. I just uh…” trailed off Lance.

Suddenly, and arm was being slung over Lance’s shoulder, and he turned to see Pidge with a big grin on her face.

 _“Oh thank god.”_ He thought, feeling the wave of relief wash over him.

“So, I see you two have met.” said Pidge in a sly voice.

The boy looked confused.

“This is my best buddy, Lance. AKA retired piano prodigy, and the coolest best friend ever.”

“Oh, this is who you were talking about.” replied the boy, sudden realization washing over him.

“Hey, I’m Keith. Keith Kogane.” 

_"Keith. What a nice name."_ thought Lance.

“Hi, uh, I’m Lance Mc-”

“Oh, I know who you are. Lance McClain. I didn’t recognize you at first. No one has seen your face for years.” said Keith with a smug look.

“Oh ha, yeah, I quit the piano a while back.” Lance replied with a shrug.

 

“That’s a shame. You were always the best one there. Lots of talent.” said Keith.

“Oh, thanks, I guess.” replied Lance, looking down at his shoes.

“By the way, I’m a violinist.” said Keith, his eyes glowing.

Suddenly, Shiro walked up, ending the brief moment.

“Hey guys, sorry I’m late. Said Shiro with a smile.

“You must be Keith!” exclaimed Shiro, extending both hands to grab Keith’s and shake it.

Keith turned his head and blushed.

 _“Cute…”_ thought Lance.

After that, Lance didn’t really keep up on the conversation too well. Shiro was, like always, using his wonderful charms on Keith, saying things that made Keith giggle occasionally.

They walked ahead of Lance and Pidge by a few paces. Pidge looked over at Lance and smiled. 

Lance didn’t even realize the violin case strung over Keith’s shoulder. It was black and had some cat stickers on it, along with various postage stamps from different places.

Then, it dawned on him where they were walking. The Musical Performing Arts Center.

He hadn’t been here since…. that day.

He took a breath and told himself,

We’re past this. Don’t let it get to you.

Pidge turned to Lance.

“Hey, are you gonna be okay?” she worriedly asked him.

“Yeah, I’ll be just fine.” Lance replied with a fake smile.

“Whatever you say…” said Pidge with a skeptical look on her face.

She knew Lance’s entire story. She had stuck with him throughout all of it. She was always worried about his mental state, especially after he lost his mother. His father had always been out of the picture, and Pidge knew that it was extremely hard for Lance, dealing with all of this at his age.

However, she knew there were certain things that Lance would have to figure out for himself. As much as she wanted to protect him, she had to let him find his own path in this cruel life for himself.

They walked past the front of the building, and towards the back. Lance could remember being one of the musicians who would come in through the back before his performance. This sure brought back memories.

“Alright guys, this is my stop.” said Keith with a smile.

“Break a leg out there.” said Shiro with a wink that earned another blush from Keith.

As Keith walked towards the back entrance, he turned and looked at Lance. There was something in his eyes. Was it fire? Desire? Whatever it was sent a chill down Lance’s smile.

Why had he given him that look? Why not Shiro?

“Hey, let’s head to the front.” said Pidge, interrupting Lance’s thoughts.

They walked back around to the main entrance. Pidge and Shiro were rambling off about something that Lance didn’t care about enough to bother listening to.

Once inside, they went through the double doors into the auditorium and stage area.

Lance was hit with a wave of nostalgia, as he looked at all the audience members sat throughout the large room.

He looked up at the stage, clear of anything except for a music stand and a piano.  
Once they found their seats, the lights dimmed.

The first performer stepped out onto the stage along with their accompanist.

They gave a bow, and the first song of the competition began. The auditorium rang with notes, as the two spewed out The Kruetzer Sonata (Violin Sonata No. 9).

 _“I like these two.”_ Lance thought.

Soon enough, the two were bowing, as the audience clapped lazily.

After the next few performers came and went, Shiro whispered,

“I just realized they’re all playing the same song.”

“Yeah, it was chosen by the judges. If they all play the same song, they can be judged better.” replied Lance, not taking his eyes of the current performers as they stood, bowed, and left the stage.

“Wait! That’s him!” excitedly murmured Shiro.

That was when Lance saw Keith walk out onto the stage. His hair was pulled back into a lazy ponytail, and he had a uniform black suit on. Lance watched with interest, as Keith raised his violin to his chin after bowing politely to the audience.

“C’mon Keith!” shouted Shiro.

Pidge clamped a hand over his mouth.

“Oh my god you’re embarrassing!” whispered Pidge to him.

With that, Keith began to move. His arms and fingers began to create sound. He slightly swayed with every stroke of the bow. 

Almost instantly, there was something different about this piece. It was definitely Kruetzer, but it no longer belonged to Beethoven. 

Suddenly, those pale colors that shone on Keith became bright and vivid. Every note was exploding with beautiful colors. Lance could see the indigo glinting in Keith’s eyes, as well as the pastel aura surrounding Keith.

 _“Wow.”_ Lance with utter fascination.

The sight was absolutely breathtaking. He could see the joy in Keith’s face as he played. Keith seemed to truly, truly, love performing, just as Lance once had. 

Something about this boy was so very different, and Lance couldn’t quite tell what it was. The only thing he could use to describe everything about the boy, was that he seemed so, lively.

Lance could see the determination, the love for music, and all the other flowing emotions, coursing through Keith as he played.

Once Keith finished his piece, the audience slowly rose to their feet to give him a standing ovation. Keith looked up and smiled. He then bowed, and walked off the stage.

Lance knew that there was no way Keith would place high enough to move onto the next competition. While Lance was amazed by Keith’s music, the score and tempo were off, and the notes were seemingly sloppy.  
That was bound to get a decently average score. Not bad, but not good. Regardless, Lance was absolutely stunned. This boy was definitely something special.

\-----

“Holy shit, I didn’t even think he was playing the same song!” exclaimed Pidge. “It sounded totally new!”

 _“He really made that piece his own.”_ thought Lance with a smile.

Keith came out of the backstage exit and ran up to them.

“How did I do?!” excitedly asked Keith.

“It was amazing!” replied Shiro.

There was a large group gathering around a post. The results of the competition had been posted. 

Keith didn’t wait another second. He darted over to see what he’d gotten.

Seconds later, he burst out of the crowd and yelled, 

“I get to play at the Gala! I won the audience choice award!”

 

“I don’t see how they couldn’t love you. You were really something up there.” said Shiro slyly.

“Thank you!” gleamed Keith as he pulled Shiro into a hug.

Lance couldn’t pull his gaze from Keith. The colors were still there. Softer than they’d been on stage, but still beautiful. 

“Really something…” mumbled Lance, smiling to himself.

He didn’t know anything about this boy, except for the fact that he was a crazy violinist who had a crush on the sport star Shiro. But what Lance did know, is that he wanted this boy to be a part of his life.

It didn’t really matter how, but he wanted to get to know this mysterious, colorful boy, more. A lot more.


	3. Where Did the Music Go?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance's problem is finally exposed to someone other than himself. Keith has a plan to help him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys. I'm sorry this is coming out so late. I just started back up with school and I made the JV volleyball team! I've been really busy so I've barely had any time to write. This chapter is pretty uneventful and it's rushed so it's super short. Sorry about that. I'll have the next chapter up in no more than two weeks. Sorry for the delay, but it's not like that many people like this trash anyway lol. Remember to leave kudos, comment, and share this fic if you feel like it! Thanks guys! :)

As Lance was walking out of school, onto the wide path surrounded by cherry blossom trees, he spotted something ahead. A faint gleam of color. He immediately knew that Keith was the one leaning against the base of one of the trees.

Keith turned his head and caught Lance in a moment of eye contact. The glint in his eyes shone in the light gleaming through the trees. 

“Hey! Where’s Shiro at?” asked Keith with a smile as he jogged up to Lance excitedly. 

“Uh, he has soccer practice until seven.” replied Lance as he looked down.

“Bummer.” murmured Keith.

“Yeah, but he’s free tomorrow.” said Lance, walking away.

A hand caught Lance’s, and pulled him back. Taken by surprise, Lance stumbled a bit.

“Where do you think you’re going?” asked Keith with a grin. “You can be his replacement!”

“For what?” questioned Lance.

“A date!” replied Keith happily.

“Ah so first I’m just Friend A, now I’m the replacement for Shiro. I guess you could call that a promotion.” said Lance with a grin.

 

“C’mon. I know you want to.” declared Keith as he began to walk, Lance’s hand still in his own.

\-----

“Um, are you actually going to eat that?” asked Lance.

Keith took a few more pictures of his stack of waffles. 

“Yep! But it’s quite pretty. You have to appreciate that sort of thing, ya know?” Keith replied as he scrolled through his photos.

Keith finally began to eat the waffles, and looked absolutely delighted doing it.

“This is the best thing I’ve ever eaten!” exclaimed Keith through a mouthful of food. 

“Why do you like baked sweets and pastries so much? It’s afternoon and you’re eating waffles.” Lance stated.

“Well, my parents do run a bakery so.” replied Keith, still very occupied by the plate before him.

Lance just sighed and rested his chin on his hand. He looked at Keith very fondly. While Keith was such an amazing musician, he was such a normal guy off stage. Something about that was sort of, endearing.

“Huh, I didn’t know that thing actually worked, I thought it was just a prop.” Keith said as he looked over and the two girls seated in front of a small, white, upright piano, sloppily playing “Twinkle Twinkle”.

“It seems like such a happy little piano, doesn’t it?” fondly asked Keith.

“That piano is sad. You’re never supposed to have water near a piano, but they’ve decorated it with fresh flowers. It almost never gets played. That piano is lonely.” replied Lance. 

Keith stood up and strolled over to the girls. 

 

“That’s Mozart, isn’t it?” questioned Keith with a smile.

“Yup! I learned it in today’s lesson, but I’m not very good at it yet.” replied the older girl.

“Well that’s okay. Keep practicing. My friend over here might be able to help. You see, he’s a very good pianist.” Keith assured the girl while looking at Lance.

He motioned with a wave of his hand for Lance to come over. Lance stood up reluctantly and slowly walked over to the piano.

“I’m sure he’d be happy to help you!” said Keith.

Lance gave Keith a look of surprise.

“Ha, sorry I don’t really play anymore.” said Lance as he reached up to scratch his head.

Keith grabbed Lance’s collar and pulled his head close. 

“Do not embarrass me in front of these kids.” threatened Keith.

Too scared to refuse, Lance took a seat on the bench next to the girl.  
“One, two, three, four..” spoke Keith. 

The girl began playing the little tune, and soon thereafter, Lance began to play along. It created a happy sound, simple and cheerful.

 _Twinkle twinkle, little star,_  
_How I wonder what you are,_  
_Up above the world so high,_  
_Like a diamond in the sky,_  
_Twinkle twinkle little star,_  
_How I wonder what you are._

Keith sang along with them as they played. Once the singing was over, Lance expected himself to stop, but he didn’t. He began playing more notes than before, he took over the length of the piano as the little girl stared in awe. 

Lance continued the song, releasing quick notes that got more complex as the song went on. The entire cafe had stopped what they were doing to watch the scene. Even Keith was impressed.

Lance was being surrounded by happy little colors as he played on. Maybe this piano was a little happy after all. But then, the keys felt dense.

_“Not again, not now.” pleaded Lance to himself._

Then, everything stopped. The colors faded back to grey, and the noise ceased. Lance’s fingers stopped moving, and the happiness was gone.

“I-I’m sorry, I can’t.” apologized Lance. He stood up from the bench and walked back to the table. He picked up his bag and began to leave. 

A hand grabbed his shoulder. He turned to see Keith’s worried face. 

“Are you okay? What happened?” worriedly asked Keith.

“I told you. I can’t play anymore.” replied Lance, looking at the ground shamefully.

He felt guilty that he couldn’t play. He let everyone down. His mother, Keith, Pidge and all his friends who’d supported him, himself. He couldn’t do it.

They walked out of the cafe silently. Lance walked over to the bench seated under a blanket of cherry blossom trees. 

Keith took a seat beside him. He looked over at Lance fondly. 

“Oh, look.” Lance said, pointing in front of them.

A small black cat was walking out of the brush. It mewed lightly and came right up to brush against Lance’s leg.

“Do you like cats?” Keith asked.

“Yeah. I used to have one who looked just like this.” Lance replied, scratching the cat’s head.

“So you’re not going to play piano anymore?” Keith asked softly.

“I don’t know if I can.” quietly spoke Lance.

“You were the winner of the Moriwaki Students’ Piano Competition, the youngest winner in history of the Saiki Competition. You were a prodigy. A human metronome.” said Keith.

“You’ve done your homework, haven’t you.” replied Lance as he glanced down at his feet.

“It’s common knowledge. There isn’t a musician our age who hasn’t heard of you.” replied Keith with a smile. “After all of that, why did you stop playing?”

The question sent a jolt through Lance. This was the question everyone asked, but no one knew the answer to.

“I...I can’t hear the piano.” replied Lance mournfully.

“What? Bu-But you were just playing in the cafe!” exclaimed Keith.

“Sure I can hear it at first. But the more I concentrate, somewhere along the way, the sound fades from my reach.” explained Lance. 

“Wow. That’s a lame excuse. What a baby.” replied Keith.

“Wai- what?” said Lance with a confused look.

“I mean it. That’s no excuse to stop doing what you love. Honestly, you just gave up?! Keep playing, even if you think you can’t. If you can’t move your hands, use your feet. If you don’t have enough fingers, use your nose! Whatever it takes!” Keith exclaimed.

“How do you expect me to do that?!” questioned Lance.

“No matter what, even if you’re depressed. Even if you’re alone, or a mess, or on the verge of hitting rock bottom. You have to keep playing!” Keith yelled.

“Why are you so persistent?” Lance shouted back.

“Because that’s what musicians do!” shot back Keith.

Lance only looked at Keith with amusement and sadness in his eyes. Keith was panting and had his hands balled at his sides. 

_“I guess I understand why you’re so colorful. You have so much love. You love children, you love food, you love violin, you love music. I guess that’s why you shine so brightly.” _Lance thought to himself.__

____

“That’s it. I’ve made my decision.” Keith said contently. “I’m trusting you to be my accompanist.”

____

“What?!” Lance exclaimed. “You can’t mean that! I can’t even hear!” 

____

“Well, my accompanist quit, and I have to play at the second round of the competition.” Keith declared. “And it seems that you’re in need of some musical guidance right about now.”

____

Keith’s mind was made up. If he wanted something, he’d make it happen. 

___“Man he’s stubborn. I wonder what this feeling is called. I think I’d describe it as…. Yearning.”_ _ _

\---

____

 

____

“Come back here!” screamed Keith, chasing after a sprinting Lance.

____

“I told you I can’t do it!” yelled Lance back as he bolted down the street to school.

____

Lance climber the stairs and hid behind a corner. He watched as Keith took a turn out of his direction.

___“I finally lost him. Why can’t he take no for an answer?” thought Lance._ _ _

Keith had decided on Saint-Säens’s Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso. He’d been extremely persistent on trying to get Lance to take the sheet music, but Lance wasn’t going to give into Keith’s plan.

____

\---

____

“So you’re gonna try and force him to accompany your violin?” asked Pidge.

____

“Yup! That’s the plan!” replied Keith.

____

“Maybe he’ll finally start playing again and stop being so boring.” Hunk suggested.

____

‘Oh don’t be mean Hunk. He’s just not that outgoing of a person!” Pidge justified.

____

“So will you guys help me?” asked Keith.

____

“I’m in.” instantly spoke Pidge.

____

“Same here!” said Hunk with a warm smile.

_“Now that Pidge and Hunk are helping me, there is no way he can get out of this.” _thought Keith soundly.  
__

_“I’m going to make that boy make music again.”_


	4. Operation: LANCE

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith and Pidge carry out their plan to get Lance to accompany Keith. This is, Operation: LANCE.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! So the past few weeks have been crazy. I'm barely getting this out, and once again it's shorter than I'd like. I guess that means I'll just have more chapters;) I started freshman year and have already gotten in trouble for pranking my teacher by putting a tampon in his water. Things have been crazy, but once things settle hopefully I'll have more time to write! I may take an extra week or two to get the next update out, as   
> I want it to be a full-length chapter. Thank you guys for coming back to read updates! I hope you guys enjoy! Make sure to share, leave kudos and comment! Every little comment makes a huge impact on my day, so I love reading them! Thanks guys!

_“Classical? Why is the school playing classical?”_ Lance thought.

Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso began playing in the hall. 

_“That’s weird. The school usually just plays pop.”_

Lance walked swiftly through the corridor. Once he reached the music room, he swung open the door. 

_“What?!”_ Lance thought with shock.

Plastered all over the walls was the sheet music to the song that was playing. It was taped to every inch of the room. It covered the walls, the piano, the windows, everything.

 _“Oh no. Oh no no no.”_ Lance worriedly spoke to himself.

This was not happening. He knew Keith would be persistent on getting him to be his accompanist, but Lance got a feeling that this was only the beginning. 

He picked up one of the sheets of music and skimmed through it. He quickly crumpled the paper and threw it to the floor. 

_“When is he going to get it? I can’t play. Not for him, not for me, not for anyone.”_

\---

 

“So, how did you like the wallpaper we set up in the music room?” said Keith with a sly grin.

“Very amusing. Do you even know how much paper you wasted?” Lance replied, obviously unamused.

“Well, we wouldn’t have to waste the paper or the energy if you’d just, I don’t know, stop being a stubborn crybaby and just be my accompanist.” said Keith, looking down at his lunch tray.

“You’re being the stubborn one! Can’t you just take no for an answer?!” Lance exclaimed. 

“Sorry, no can do. You see, I would let you off the hook except for one tiny detail.” Keith smirked.

“And what might that tiny detail be?” Lance spoke with a glare.

“I’m right, and you’re wrong. I know you can play. You always could play. It’s just that you don’t want to play.” Keith shot back.

Lance looked stunned. He fiddled with his fork. 

“I know it’s weird. I know I’m weird. But it’s the truth. I can’t do it.” Lance softly replied.

“You see, that is where you are so very wrong, Mr. McClain. You can, but you need to figure out how.”

With that, Keith picked up his tray and hustled away from Lance’s table. 

\---

Lance walked into his home and shut the door. He flickered on the lights. As he sauntered to the music room, he couldn’t help but feel that there was something off. 

He opened the door, and to no surprise, the entire room was covered in music, just as the school music room had been.

Lance stormed over to the window and threw it wide open.  
“Pidge I know you’re in on it!” he practically screamed. 

As he looked up to stare at the dark window, he saw someone inside the room move. The lights flickered on. This lit up the large window. Once again, Lance was staring at copies upon copies of the sheet music. He couldn’t escape it.

Just as Lance was about to slam his window shut, he heard the creak of Pidge opening her’s. 

He heard a soft grunt, and suddenly, he saw a small object flying towards him. He jumped back from the window, right before the ball flew into his room. 

A moment later he heard the window shut. He picked up the ball. In small messy handwriting, a message was encrypted on the large blank part. It read, “PLAY AT THE GALA.”

With a sullen sigh, Lance dropped the ball and put a hand on his forehead. These guys really weren’t going to drop this anytime soon.

\---

It had been a week since Pidge and Keith had started tormenting Lance. While Hunk had agreed to help, he was too busy with his school activities to take much part. 

Lance lay helplessly on the floor next to the piano. He had read this sheet music time and time again. As he closed his eyes, he let his fingers begin to move, to play the soft keys of an imaginary piano. He let the notes vibrate in his head, as he envisioned the piece being played swiftly.

His fingers froze. He slowly opened his eyes.

_“Who am I kidding? I can’t do this.”_

\---

Keith and Pidge sat on the bus, side by side.

“I can’t believe how much time we put into that.” Pidge groaned.

“I know! And to make things worse, it hasn’t changed his mind in the slightest!” Keith tiredly exclaimed.

“He’s always been like this. Once he makes up his mind about something, he refuses to budge. Which is weird, considering what a shamefully acting kid he is.” 

“It doesn’t matter. This has to work. We have to get him to play again!” Keith determinedly spoke.

“In all honesty, I don’t really care if Lance plays the piano. It wouldn’t have to be piano. Just something he loves. I want to see him happy again. It just so happens that it's piano that might do the trick.” Pidge said fondly.

“Look at you, getting all sappy.” Keith said with a content smile. 

“Oh shut it. I have feelings too you know!” Pidge declared. 

The bus slowed to a stop, as Pidge rose to her feet. 

“This is me. I’ll see you tomorrow. Be prepared to go full ham.” Pidge laughed.

“You know it!” Keith replied with a chuckle. 

Pidge left the bus, and Keith was left in silence.

A few miles later, Keith pressed the request for the stop button. 

The bus driver turned on the speaker and announced their stop politely.

“Approaching the Pediatric Medical Center. Please gather your belongings, and have a good evening. Thank you for riding with us.” 

\---

 _“One more flight.”_ thought Keith to himself.

He quickly bolted up the stairs to the roof. He had to stop three or four times. As he reached the peak of the stairwell, he clutched the railing as he panted for breath. Slowly, he began to collect himself. He stood tall, smoothed out his shirt, and opened the door.

Keith took a look around the area. He saw no one. With a disappointed sigh, he lowered his head and turned back to the door.

“Why are you still at school?! You should be at the Gala!” Lance exclaimed.

Keith jumped at the sudden voice. He whipped around, hair blowing into his face, to spot Lance leaning against the ledge of the barrier.

“What do you mean?! I’m here to pick you up dumbass!” Keith shot back.  
Keith began to walk towards Lance. He came face to face with him, close enough that they could kiss. Then, Keith smacked Lance’s head.

“What was that for?” Lance cried out, holding the side of his face in pain.

“For making me go through all this trouble to find you! I can’t believe you hid from me. Hurry up, let’s get a move on!” Keith exclaimed.

“I already told you, Keith. I can’t accompany you. I’m sorry. It’s just not going to happen.” softly replied Lance.

“Did you hear me say you had a choice?” Keith said.

“Even if we went now. There’s no way I could perform. I couldn’t play what you need. I can’t play the piano.” said Lance drearily. 

“Excuses..” Keith said, fists clenched.

“What?” Lance questioned.

“I said excuses! You can’t play? You mean you don’t want to. You say you can’t hear the piano. That may be true. But that doesn’t mean you can’t play! You’re using it as a way to run away!” Keith yelled.

“Don’t you get it? I’m scared.” softly spoke Lance, tears forming in the corners of his eyes. “I hate the feeling. The feeling that I have no control. That I’m trapped.” 

_“It’s like being at the bottom of a dark ocean. I’m alone. There’s no one here with me. It’s so dark, so dark…”_

_“So is that it? Were you glad when you stopped hearing? Were you glad when you had a reason to stop playing?”_

The voice in Lance’s head was drowning him. Getting bigger and bigger…

“But you have me.” Keith said. “Maybe you can’t hear. Maybe you’re out of practice. But that doesn’t matter. I want you to play with me.” 

“What? Why me? I don’t get it.” Lance asked, puzzled.

“Like you said. Maybe we’ll do awful. Maybe we won’t finish the piece. But as long as there’s a stage and an audience that wants to hear us, I want to play. I want to play to be remembered. I want to play to bring people joy. I want to play and leave my mark on these people. And I expect you to do the same. That’s how us musicians survive, right?” spoke Keith with emotion.

“So please. Do this for me. Play for me. Help me make this music Lance. Please help me, before I give up.” Pleaded Keith, head bowed.

_Drip. Drip._

The tears rolled off Keith’s cheeks and lightly hit the warm pavement. One by one, they kept coming. 

Lance looked at him for a moment. The color’s had gotten brighter. Maybe that was Keith’s love shining through. Yes, that was it. How could he have not realized.

All this time, he’d been wondering why Keith was so determined. Why Keith wanted them to play together so badly. It was because this, music, was Keith’s love, his freedom.

“I’ll do it.”

Keith’s eyes shot up, red and watery.

“I’ll be your accompanist. I can’t promise anything. I might be total shit. But for you, I’ll try.”

A smile spread across Keith’s cheeks, warm and thankful. Keith said nothing, but moved close to Lance and wrapped his arms around his waist. 

What was this warm feeling growing inside Lance? 

Keith buried his face in Lance’s shoulder as lance returned the hug cautiously. 

“Thank you.” Keith whispered softly.

Pidge, Hunk, and Shiro burst through to doors. 

“Where the hell were you?! We have been looking everywhere! Don’t you DARE run away again!” Pidge basically screamed at him.

“If we bike, we can make it in twenty minutes! Let’s go!” Shiro yelled.

They bolted down the stairs to the parking lot. 

“Hop on.” said Shiro, grinning at Keith.

Keith hopped onto the pegs of Shiro’s bike, hands on his shoulders, violin slung over his shoulder. 

Lance hopped onto the seat on the back of Pidge’s bike, pulling out a copy of the sheet music to study on the way there. 

As they took off down the hill, Keith let out a high pitched yell of happiness. Lance looked at the colorful boy fondly. 

Keith was the human example of love. If this was what love was, Lance wanted to find it. Ah, there it was again. That feeling in his stomach. The yearning. The yearning for Keith, or for the love that Keith was radiating. 

It was all a rush that left Lance’s head spinning. Regardless, Lance had a feeling that whatever it was that Keith made him feel, he wanted to feel more. 

And this was the start. This was the beginning of Lance’s journey back to music.


End file.
